To visualise the northern lights Murmansk experience, imagine a place that lives, works and plays above the Polar Circle. This extraordinary place is Kola Peninsula in Russia’s Arctic. Kola may not be on the tourist radar, but that’s what makes it special.

Why do we visit Kola in the coldest part of the year? Well, the Northern Lights are best seen in the Winter months. Murmansk in the Kola Peninsula, being so close to the Arctic Circle, is one of the world’s premier destinations to see the Aurora Borealis, or Northern Lights, one of the most breathtakingly beautiful natural phenomenon visible from earth.

As the world gets smaller, there’s a desire to go further – and there are few places as enchantingly far away as Yamal. This tour transports you deep into Siberia’s isolated Arctic region. ‘Yamal’ means ‘edge of the world’ in the language of the indigenous Nenets. The Nenets of Yamal carve out a unique way of life, seemingly at the limits of human tolerance. Yamal Peninsula was considered so inhospitable that Stalin built his prison camps here. Yet a strikingly colourful, rich and resilient culture has been preserved and relatively unchanged here for some 2,000 years. READ MORE

To visualise the northern lights discovery, imagine a place that lives, works and plays above the Polar Circle. This extraordinary place is Kola Peninsula in Russia’s Arctic. Kola may not be on the tourist radar, but that’s what makes it special. The small city of Murmansk of around 300,000 residents are compact, but it’s the surrounding Arctic nature and the well-preserved indigenous cultures that will enthral the intrepid traveller. Murmansk is also known to be one of the best places to see the northern lights in Russia in all its glory. READ MORE

This compelling 12-day Northern Lights Train Tour offers a unique contrast between two of Russia’s most majestic cities and the remote, yet charming communities deep within the Russian and Norwegian Arctic Circle. Commencing in St. Petersburg, we visit some of the city’s most prominent historical and cultural sites on this railway journey before embarking on this remarkable arctic adventure onboard the Golden Eagle. READ MORE

Travel to Wrangel Island, an area 140km off the northeast coast of Siberia that is separated from northern Alaska by the Chukchi Sea. For 10 frozen months of the year, this lonely wilderness is completely cut off from the outside world.

Reaching Wrangel and braving its polar climate is not for the faint of heart. Only the most dedicated nature lovers make the journey – but the rewards are without parallel. There is simply no better destination than to meet the wild denizens of the Arctic up-close, virtually undisturbed by human interference, and in numbers that will simply astound you.